He says roads like Interstate 66 are at the “maximum” and can’t be widened or expanded much farther.

“We are looking at a whole bunch of alternatives on the I-66 corridor. We’ve got to find ways to manage the capacity we have,” Connaughton says.

The most immediate plan to help I-66 is to set up an “Active Traffic Management System (ATM),” which would essentially monitor the road non-stop.

According to VDOT, the management system would put an emphasis on:

Monitoring roadway conditions

Identifying and responding to incidents

Dynamic use of shoulder lane and ramp metering

Informing and guiding travelers

“We are about to come out with a (request for proposal) for a state-wide traffic operations center,” Conaughton says. “The whole goal there is to have as much active traffic management as possible. Not just here in Northern Virginia but state-wide.”

Construction on the $32 million ATM project for I-66 could begin in the fall or winter and be operational in summer 2014.